Spray and combustion process with waste cooking oil (WCO) biodiesel and commercial diesel were analyzed in an optically-accessible single-cylinder compression ignition diesel engine equipped with a high pressure common-rail injection system. Direct imaging method was applied to investigate spray and combustion characteristics. From the mie-scattering results, it was verified that WCO biodiesel had a longer injection delay compared to diesel. Spray tip penetration length of WCO biodiesel was longer and spray angle was narrower than those of diesel due to poor atomization characteristics. In terms of combustion, WCO biodiesel showed later start of combustion, while flame was vanished more rapidly. Analysis of flame luminosity showed that WCO biodiesel combustion had lower intensity and lasted for shorter duration.